Thursday, April 18, 2019

Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West by Stephen Fried

What a great book! A historical account/biography that reads as a intriguingly as a novel. Investigative journalist Stephen Fried clearly delved into his subject with relish, and as a result has produced an important work about development of (primarily) the Southwest via the railroads, specifically the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, and hospitality network created by Fred Harvey, whose company fed and the housed travelers and tourists discovering the West. 

I came across this book in the gift shop of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ during a recent trip and on my return, was able to obtain it from my local library. Not only did I enjoy it immensely, but I learned a tremendous amount about the locales where Harvey's network of restaurants and hotels were established, and in some cases, still exist under other management. Can't wait to get back out West and visit a few of them.

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